Products made from paper webs such as bath tissues, facial tissues, paper towels, industrial wipers, food service wipers, napkins, medical pads and other similar products are designed to include certain properties. For example, such products can have a relatively soft feel and, for most applications, can be highly absorbent. While such features are of importance, environmental sustainability is also rapidly becoming a desired feature in consumer products.
For paper products, a component of an environmentally sustainable product is the use of recycled fiber. Although a high level of recycled fiber is desirable from an environmental viewpoint, the incorporation of recycled fiber, particularly post-consumer recycled fiber, can create significant problems in the properties of the end product.
For instance, while paper products containing high levels of recycled fiber are commercially available, such paper products exhibit much poorer absorbency characteristics than products with little or no recycled fiber. As a result, such products perform marginally for tasks in which paper products are generally employed.
The closed pore structure of products made with recycled fiber, particularly post-consumer recycled fiber, contributes to the limited absorbency of such products. Still, recycled fiber can be utilized advantageously in certain applications. For example, in cleaning glass, the closed pore structure of products made with recycled fiber can provide for reduced streaking of the glass. Nonetheless, the low absorbent capacity of products made with recycled fiber results in poor initial wiping and hinders the overall performance of the products.
As such, a need exists for paper products containing high levels of recycled fiber, particularly post-consumer recycled fiber, which also have performance attributes that are preferable relative to products that do not contain high levels of recycled fiber and wherein, the improved performance benefit of such product is due to the properties imparted by the recycled fiber.